


Eddie's List

by reddiegays



Category: IT (Movies - Muschietti), IT - Stephen King
Genre: Almost Kiss, Alternate Universe - College/University, Bisexual Richie Tozier, Blond Eddie Kaspbrak, Camping, Dancing, Drunken Confessions, Drunken Flirting, First Dates, Flirting, Fluff, Gay Eddie Kaspbrak, Ice Skating, Idiots in Love, Jealous Richie Tozier, Light Angst, M/M, Makeover, Nail Polish, Oblivious Eddie Kaspbrak, Reddie and Benverly Double Date, Richie Tozier is a Little Shit, Romantic Gestures, Sharing a Bed, Unresolved Romantic Tension, just bros being pals, richie is a dumbass, tags to be added as the story progresses...
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-01-15
Updated: 2020-02-11
Packaged: 2021-02-27 15:33:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,551
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22269472
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/reddiegays/pseuds/reddiegays
Summary: Eddie starts college and decides he wants to do all the things his mother disapproved of when he was at home. Richie is only too happy to help.
Relationships: Eddie Kaspbrak/Richie Tozier, Richie Tozier/Eddie Kaspbrak
Comments: 24
Kudos: 67





	1. 1. Get a Roommate

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: I’m not american so I may have got some of the stuff about how college works wrong? I did my best but wikipedia can only get you so far. hope you like it all the same (it’s not all revolving around college so I hope you’ll forgive me)

He was in his last year at Derry High when he started making the list, vowing never to let his mother control him anymore. Whilst under her care, Eddie Kaspbrak had developed a serious phobia to germs and believed he suffered from various diseases. It took a long time for him to accept she’d been lying to him, his medication was useless, he didn’t have asthma, he wasn’t fragile or delicate. Sonia wanted him that way so he’d always need her. The discovery, coupled with his mother having found out he was looking into colleges and subsequently intended to leave home, had caused a massive argument with Eddie storming out with his stuff packed into a suitcase. He’d managed to make it as far as the Toziers’ front door before collapsing into a heap, sobbing into his hands; he hadn’t even registered Went and Richie helping him upstairs until he was being lowered onto Richie’s bed. The next morning, Maggie and Went insisted he stay as long as he wanted, which was more than okay with their son.

Eddie decided to tell Richie about the list one stormy night they were stuck inside listening to music and playing video games, both curled up in Richie’s warm bed; Eddie got a strange kind of buzz knowing his mother would completely disapprove and, for once in his life, he didn’t give a single fuck. He casually pointed this out to Richie.

“Well, duh, Eds, isn’t that the whole point of independence?” He sniggered, eyes still fixed on his character on the screen, “I think you’re allowed to be rebellious.”

“I’ve written a list.”

He wriggled out from the duvet and rummaged in his backpack at the side of the bed, pulling out the folded piece of paper and nervously handed it to his friend. Richie wordlessly examined the bullet points, his expression giving nothing away. He’d already made his mind up before he’d finished reading.

“I’ll help you tick these off.”

Eddie turned to face Richie properly, a serious look on his face, “you’d do that for me?”

“Sure I will, Eds,” _I’d do anything for you_ , he finished in his head, waiting impatiently for Eddie’s answer.

“Richie, the first thing on that list is getting a roommate. I’m going to college-”

“Exactly,” Richie was fumbling under his bed, trying to grab the shoebox tucked underneath. He finally succeeded, extracting his own piece of paper. He passed Eddie the application accepting him into the same college, “now all we gotta do is look for accommodation. What do you say, roomie?”

Eddie’s reply was to throw his arms around Richie’s neck, “thank you, Richie! I don’t know what I’d do without you.”

And that’s how the whole thing started. Eddie still wasn’t convinced Richie knew what he had signed up for. The week before the start of term, they flew out to New York to inspect their new living arrangements, just off campus from their selected college. There was a large communal lounge with a separate kitchen, laundry room and bathroom. Their dorm room was modest sized, two beds were pushed against both walls and a good-sized desk shoved between them. The boys dropped off their belongings and Eddie was keen to get on with some cleaning. Richie insisted they have a look around the city, tempting him with an offer to treat him to dinner.

Eddie was in his element as a newcomer to a fresh city. He took photos and pointed out things that interested him to Richie, mostly street performers and the odd puppy on a leash. They took many selfies on Eddie’s polaroid camera, waiting for the photo to develop before falling about laughing at the faces they’d pulled. True to his word, Richie bought Eddie lunch in a themed retro diner with vinyls spread across the walls and band posters spread everywhere. It was quite nice really. Eddie tucked into a rather nice salad, sharing a plate of fries with Richie. The Trashmouth lived up to his name, trying to stuff an entire hot dog into his mouth in one bite. The resulting coughing fit had made Eddie spit out his milkshake in hysterical laughter, all whilst thumping Richie on the back.

They bought some souvenirs; Richie, a white t-shirt that said ‘I Heart NY’ in big red letters and Eddie, a plaque that read _Home Sweet Home_. He thought it would look cute on the wall in their new room. They also, quite reluctantly, purchased new items for college - pens, pencils, books, bags, etc. It was getting late by the time they got back to their dorm. Eddie was still determined to spruce the place a bit, though, refusing to sleep on some shitty mattress until he’d checked it at least six times. Richie didn’t give a fuck, throwing himself on his bed and watching Eddie fondly scrub the desk, mumbling about knowing how horny college students are so it was a precaution.

“So, this is it, Spaghetti,” he said once Eddie tossed his gloves into the bin. He was currently pinning his list to the wall, stepping back to admire it, “any regrets?”

“Are you kidding?” Eddie scoffed, settling next to Richie on his bed, reaching for the leftover pizza they’d ordered earlier, “I’m so fucking glad to be out of Derry. It’s such a relief.”

“Looking forward to orientation tomorrow?”

Eddie was not. He didn’t like meeting new people. He just wanted to keep his head down, graduate with a medical degree and go to medical school. He shrugged, “not really. I’d rather hang out with you.”

“Aww, don’t worry, Eds,” Richie pulled him close, ruffling his hair, “it’s only for a couple of hours. Then we could crack on with that list of yours.”

“Oh, I almost forgot!” Eddie wriggled out of Richie’s grip, approaching the list on the wall. He smiled, striking a line through the first point; it felt so good to be doing things for himself for once, “thanks, roomie.”

“No sweat, bro.”

Eddie re-joined him in his bed, snuggling against him as they watched some shitty sitcom on the even shittier TV. Richie zoned out and quickly pulled out a comic book - not ten minutes later, he felt Eddie gently snoring against him, they days events having clearly caught up with him. Richie smiled fondly, not having the heart to wake him. He quietly switched off the TV, sinking down onto the pillows slowly as to not jostle Eddie too much. He placed his glasses on the desk, resting his cheek against the top of Eddie’s head. He soon fell asleep, dreaming of his best friend.


	2. 2. Go to a College Party

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Eddie meets another student who invites him and Richie to a party. Eddie gets drunk and secrets are revealed...

When Richie woke up, Eddie had already left. This wasn’t uncommon; he was an early riser and tended to go jogging before the start of his day. Richie always seemed to sleep better with Eddie by his side, whether he was there when he woke up or not; he would be lying if he said he didn’t prefer it if Eddie was still in bed when he opened his eyes. He stretched, rubbing his eyes with one hand whilst reaching for his glasses with the other. Once his vision came into focus, Richie spotted a note placed beside a cup of coffee and a blueberry muffin.

_Don’t work too hard. E_

Richie grinned, scoffing down the muffin and slurping the coffee in record time. He threw on an old pair of jeans and a Hawaiian shirt over his white t-shirt, reluctantly heading out to meet his fellow media students. In all honesty, he wasn’t that keen on making friends - he was far more interested in getting through the day and helping Eddie with item number two on his list, something he was looking particularly forward to. He did end up making at least one friend, fashion student Beverly Marsh who then introduced him to her boyfriend, Ben Hanscom. At least he had someone to hang with at lunch which was always nice. They exchanged numbers and Richie promised to meet them again and introduce them to his roommate.

The rest of the day passed uneventfully and Richie was grateful to return to the dorm. He dumped his bag and brand new books at the foot of his bed, opting to play video games until Eddie got in. To say he was eager to help with the second time on Eddie’s list was an understatement but he didn’t want to let on. He was still playing when Eddie finally showed up almost two hours later; he more or less kicked open the door, his arms overflowing with textbooks and notebooks. And he wasn’t alone.

“Where do you want your b-bag?” The taller boy asked, awkwardly glancing at Richie who was openly staring at him. Eddie gestured at his bed distractedly, carefully placing his books on the desk.

“Just over there,” he looked up then, politely indicating between Richie and the newcomer, “Bill, this is Richie, my roommate. Richie, this is Bill. We met earlier.”

“Nice to meet you, R-Richie.”

Richie thought it best to be polite. He reached forward and shook the boy’s hand, “likewise, Big Bill.”

Bill said nothing about the odd nickname but he did raise an eyebrow. Eddie had mentioned a roommate, his best friend from his hometown and how he’d helped him overcome issues with his mother. He seemed nice. Bill could see himself becoming good friends with the pair of them. Eddie saw him to the door and Bill smiled.

“Are y-you coming tonight?”

Eddie nodded, too enthusiastically for Richie’s liking, “yeah, we’ll be there. Thanks, Bill.”

The boy left after a quick nod and Eddie smiled after him, glad to have made a new friend. However, when he shut the door and turned to look at Richie, his arms were folded and he had a scowl on his face.

“What?” Eddie said in confusion, gesturing at the door by way of explanation, “Bill’s a Literature student, we met at lunch and got chatting. I’ve been working on the second point on the list.”

“What, you wanna get laid?” 

Richie may have been joking but he was a little afraid to find out the answer. Luckily, this was still Eddie Kaspbrak they were talking about. The short asthmatic hypochondriac kid he’d known for years. Eddie even looked disgusted by the suggestion.

“Fuck you. Bill invited both of us to his party,” he indicated his list, knowing full well the second point was to attend a college party, “part two, dude.”

“Nice,” Richie relaxed immensely at the knowledge Eddie wasn’t attempting to seduce some random college kid he barely knew. Not that that was his business. He still wasn’t sure about this Bill, there must be a reason he invited the both of them. All interest in his video game lost, Richie reclined against the bed and nonchalantly asked, “so, why’d he invite me as well?”

“I don’t know, I guess he wanted me to feel easy, I guess.”

Richie raised an eyebrow in amusement, “he wants you to be easy?”

Eddie picked up the pillow from his bed and threw it at his best friend, frowning in annoyance whilst he just laughed, “you know what, Rich? It was fucking nice of him to invite you in the first place-”

“Yeah, well, I think I’ll pass, thanks,” he was pouting, folding his arms across his chest, “if I wanted to watch you drool over some guy, we might as well watch Point Break.”

“I don’t know why you’re being like this, man,” Eddie was busy rifling through closet, holding up various shirts and jeans, tilting his head to look in the mirror, “Bill’s just trying to be nice. I even met his girlfriend, Audra. She’s-”

“What time did you say this party was?” Richie immediately perked up, leaping to his feet to rummage through his own closet. Eddie stared at him incredulously.

“Um, about eight...”

“Well, then, Spaghetti,” he pulled out a loud Hawaiian and his favourite rainbow undershirt, waving them proudly, “let’s knock ‘em dead.”

Eddie rolled his eyes. He really didn’t get Richie sometimes. After several minutes of comparing outfits, Eddie finally selected a floral patterned button up and a pair of ripped jeans. He watched as Richie doused himself in strong-smelling deodorant and body spray that almost had Eddie reaching for his inhaler; he just flashed him a grin and told him he wanted to be ready for all the ‘hot college babes’. Hooking up had been the furthest thing from Eddie’s mind; he just wanted to experience typical college life, something he knew would make his mother’s blood boil if she could see him. He and Richie hadn’t even discussed any dorm rules should one of them (Richie) get lucky. In all honesty, he didn’t want to think about it.

The party at Bill’s was well under way by the time they arrived; Eddie was quite surprised to see it was a relatively normal party. There was no one throwing chair through windows, throwing up in the corner, making out against walls or blatantly dealing drugs. His mother was very wrong about college. The music was loud and blared so catchy dance music which had several students erratically dancing to. They found Bill chatting to Audra and another boy, curly-haired and rather solemn looking; in fact, he looked like he wished he was anywhere else; Bill introduced him as Stan, who was attending a different college to theirs. Bill indicated the kitchen where the drinks were and told them to help themselves, an offer Richie immediately took advantage of, pulling Eddie along with him.

“What’s your poison, Eduardo?” Richie said, looking like a kid in a candy shop as he perused the bottles of liquor. Eddie was still standing by the door, his arms wrapped around himself as he nervously looked around, as if expecting someone to come and tell him off.

“I don’t know, dickwad, you’re the expert!”

Richie grabbed several bottles and started pouring; he was going to get Eddie to unwind and enjoy himself if it was the last thing he did. He handed the plastic cup of various liquors to Eddie and Richie watched him carefully take his first sip; he laughed when Eddie choked on the strong taste.

“Jesus, Richie!”

“Good, isn’t it?” He took a tentative sip of his own, wincing as it warmed his insides. In truth, Richie wasn’t a big drinker but he had a reputation, appearances to keep up. He wanted Eddie to think he was cool after all. The shorter boy barely took another sip before Richie was grabbing his arm again, “come on, let’s go score.”

Eddie was thankful the music disguised his groan, unwilling to put up a fight as Richie dragged him right into the middle of the dance floor. The thing was, Eddie had no interest in girls. He’d known since he was a young teenager and he assumed Richie knew, hence his assumption Bill was hitting on him. The more he thought about it, though, maybe Richie was only joking. Or he assumed Eddie, too, was bisexual. But Eddie wasn’t, he was gay and his entire heart belonged to the boy currently plucking his drink from his hands and swaying his hips to the music. Eddie’s entire face felt like it was on fire and he glanced around the crowd; no one was paying attention to them. That didn’t stop him feeling self-conscious. Where was he supposed to put his hands? Richie had no problem trailing his up and down Eddie’s arm, pulling him closer bu his shirt, travelling over his back. Should he do that same? Should he get closer? Say something? His thoughts were interrupted by Richie’s soft touch on his chin, bringing him over slowly to look at him directly.

“Hey...relax,” Eddie could barely hear Richie over the music but he was entranced by the utterly soft expression on his face. He stroked his thumb along Eddie’s cheek, smiling, “it’s me.”

 _That’s the fucking problem!_ Eddie swallowed hard and nodded, stepping as close as he could to his friend, breathing deeply as he followed Richie’s advice and relaxed. Their dancing was wild and energetic, almost knocking each other out several times; Bill and Audra had a rather amusing time watching them, even starting to wonder if they were together, especially when they’d pull each other close and grind together in sync. The more they danced, the more they drank and, as time passed, Eddie stopped complaining about the taste and just swallowed it down, often grimacing as he did. The party slowly started to calm down as the night went on and Richie hadn’t once left Eddie’s side to look for a one night stand. He hadn’t mentioned it once. Eddie leaned over, his arm falling around Richie’s neck as he poked him in the chest.

“You- you wanted to...fuck,” he slurred ever so eloquently, seizing Richie’s shoulder for support - he felt the other boy’s arm around his waist, more or less holding him up. He squinted up at the bespectacled boy, wondering why he wouldn’t stop fucking moving, “you didn’t...”

Richie chuckled, much less affected by the alcohol than Eddie. He was tipsy, certainly, but Eddie, bless him, was a certified lightweight, “there’s always next time, Eds.”

“Eds...” Eddie mumbled thoughtfully, giggling to himself, “love it when you call me Eds.”

“Okay, that’s my cue to get you to bed,” Richie lifted Eddie slightly to steady him, holding out his arm so Eddie can lean into him. He did so gratefully, his eyes half-lidded in his drunken haze. Richie waved goodbye to Bill and led Eddie outside; once they hit the cool night air, Eddie hummed and wrapped both arms around Richie’s waist, holding with a vice-like grip, “you good there, buddy?”

“Yeah...” he shivered, his hands burrowing beneath Richie’s shirt; the taller boy jumped at the contact, blushing as Eddie’s hands roamed across his skin, “‘m cold, Rich.”

Richie quickly shrugged off his jacket and draped it across Eddie’s shoulders; he smiled lazily, removing his hands from Richie’s body to shove them into his jacket. He found it incredibly funny that his hands didn’t quite reach through the sleeves. Richie breathed a sigh of relief, although he wasn’t quite home free yet. Eddie’s head flopped down onto his shoulder as they walked back to the dorm, his hand slipping into Richie’s - at this point, Richie was just hoping he wouldn’t pass out from excitement before they reached the dorm. He needed to calm down. Eddie was drunk. This didn’t mean anything...

It took some manoeuvring but they managed to make it unscathed into their room, Richie kicking the door closed behind them as he led Eddie over to his bed; he had been about to move away to get the other boy a glass of water when Eddie grabbed his wrist, pulling him down next to him.

“Huh, drunk Eddie is a handsy little bitch,” Richie commented as Eddie started absent-mindedly playing with his curls. Eddie wriggled closer, burying his face into Richie’s neck.

“You’re so sexy...”

“I know,” Richie replied with a smirk, even though he was dying inside. What the fuck was happening right now? Eddie giggled, his fist curling into Richie’s shirt.

“Oh, Rich you- you can...get it...”

“Yeah?” Richie was struggling to breathe and he knew he shouldn’t be enjoying this so much. He should be shouting at his dick to calm the fuck down but he couldn’t help but push him a little further, “get what exactly?”

Eddie’s eyes fluttered closed and he already looked half-asleep, mumbling under his breath, “shhh...you’re so good to me. So pretty...so funny...”

“I like drunk Eddie,” Richie said, stroking Eddie’s hair soothingly, attempting to get him to sleep before he really embarrassed himself, “drunk Eddie is nice to me.”

“‘s because I like you,” Eddie yawned, shifting closer to Richie to get comfortable, “really like you. But I can’t...can’t tell you...”

Richie glanced down at him, his heart pounding. Fucking Eddie Kaspbrak was going to kill him. He held his breath, “t-tell me what?”

After a few moments of silence, Eddie started to snore softly and gently. Richie sighed deeply and shifted them into a more comfortable position; he reached down for the blanket to pull over the both of them. Once he was sure Eddie was fast asleep, Richie dropped his head to the pillow.

“Fuck...”


	3. 3. Have a Makeover

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Whilst Eddie gets over his hangover, Richie has multiple crises over the state of their relationship all whilst continuing completing the list.

The first thing Eddie registered when he woke up was that he was alone. And in a lot of pain. He was convinced he was dying. A dull throbbing pulsed behind his eyes and his head ached, he wanted to throw up. Was that normal? Was this what his mother had been trying to warn him about? How much had he had to drink? Where is Richie? Eddie groaned, rubbing his eyes with his fists and wishing the pain would go away. Barely a moment later, Richie was shoving the door open and sweeping into the room carrying a hefty bag of supplies.

“Mornin’, beautiful.”

Eddie groaned, gratefully accepting the glass of water and pills, “what the fuck took you so long?”

“Sorry. I had to get up early so I could jerk off in the shower,” Eddie nearly choked on the water. Richie stroked his back tenderly, waiting until he calmed down before adding, “I couldn’t help it, you got me pretty worked up last night.”

“What?” Eddie squeaked, completely ignoring the bacon sandwich Richie was trying to feed him. The perfect hangover cure, he called it not that Eddie cared. Richie, himself, was stuffing his face with the other sandwich, grinning mischievously.

“You know how I spent, like, literally all summer in Derry thinking I was straight ‘cause there were no boneable guys?” He waved his sandwich to accentuate his point, dripping ketchup onto Eddie’s sheets; if he was in a better state of mind, he would have yelled at him. Richie continued, taking another bite, “yeah, I’m definitely bi. Babe, you took my dick like no girl ever has.”

Eddie sat up, cautiously reaching out to hold Richie’s shoulders - he hesitated a brief moment before they made contact. He swallowed, his voice coming out hoarser than he hoped, “Richie...what the fuck happened last night?”

Finally, Richie broke and sniggered, ruffling Eddie’s hair fondly, “you really think I’d deflower you when you ain’t in the right mind to enjoy it? Edsy, I thought you loved me.”

“I thought the names couldn’t get worse than Eds.” Eddie dropped back into his bed, not sure if he should feel relieved or not. He chuckled despite himself and shoved Richie lightly, “you’re a prick, Rich.”

“Hey, it wasn’t for lack of trying, Spaghetti Boy,” Richie said in one of his dumb voices, winking theatrically, “you’re a horny little shit when you’re wasted.”

Eddie had started to nibble on his own sandwich now, his cute little brow furrowed, “what did I say?”

“That I’m sexy and could get it,” he paused, suddenly feeling quite anxious. He fiddled with his sandwich wrapper, feeling his face heat up, “and you like me...”

“Oh. Um, well, you are, you could and duh,” he playfully kicked Richie’s knee where he was sitting on his bed, smirking, “surely you don’t need me to get wasted to tell you that.”

Richie just stared at Eddie, trying to figure out if he actually thinks he’s hot in a gay way or is trying to boost his confidence as a bro. They finished their hangover breakfast in silence, during which Richie resigned himself to accepting that Eddie was just a great friend; he rationalised that even if Eddie is gay there was no way he’d be interested in him. It didn’t matter. He was just grateful to have Eddie in his life. He loved him too much. The other boy tossed his empty packet into the bin and reclined against the pillows.

“Can we take a rain check on number three?” Eddie mumbled into his pillow, groaning when Richie pulled the curtains open. He never slept in. He’d always been aware of the dangers of under-sleeping or over-sleeping. Right now, he was too hungover to care, “I think I’d rather stay here and die.”

“Well, why don’t we just switch these around?” Richie was looking over Eddie’s list, drawing an arrow between points three and four, “then we don’t have to go out anywhere.”

Eddie smiled, marvelling at how Richie always seemed to know exactly what he needed, “that’s sounds nice.”

A makeover. Something Eddie was never allowed to do when he lived at home. He once let Richie dye his hair with a spray can designed to wash out in a few days; his mother had seen his green and pink hair and told him how ridiculous he looked, how only ‘queers’ and ‘unsavoury, insecure men’ messed with their hair, going on and on about dangerous chemicals and ordered him to wash it out immediately. Richie had been banned from the Kaspbrak’s house for three months. Eddie didn’t dare touch any make-up or hair products again, mostly because he couldn’t take another three months only seeing Richie at school.

Having anticipated Eddie’s reluctance to go out today, Richie removed a load of products for their makeover session from his bag of goodies, one being a box of hair dye he refused to divulge the colour of. A momentary panic settled over Eddie, knowing his mother would probably die if she saw him with bright blue hair. Fuck it, he wasn’t her scared little boy anymore, he could do whatever he wanted. That was the whole point of the list, after all.

Once the pills had kicked in and Eddie’s headache had mostly subsided, Richie led him into the bathroom and emptied the box of hair dye. He snapped on the pair of gloves whilst Eddie draped a towel around his shoulders; at this point, Eddie was getting nervous again. He was bound to, years of trauma and trying to placate a parent would do that to a person.

“Are you sure about this, Richie?”

"Trust me, baby, I’ve done this a million times,” Richie said confidently, rubbing the strong smelling substance into his hands. Before he touched Eddie’s hair, he made sure he had his full consent, “are you ready?”

Breathing in, Eddie nodded, “yeah.”

And then Richie was touching his hair, massaging the product into his hair, gently, soothingly. Eddie wasn’t even aware he’d closed his eyes, unknowingly letting out the occasional contented sigh or hum. He needed to distract himself, talk about something, _anything,_ before he ended up embarrassing himself all because of Richie’s stupid big hands.

“So, um, did you really jerk off in the shower this morning?” _Nice one, dumbass,_ Eddie cursed himself. He heard Richie chuckling behind him.

“Hell yeah!”

Eddie should’ve just left it there. He didn’t want to know! he really, really didn’t want to know. He kind of wanted to know. Fuck. “How can you just do that?”

“You want a step-by-step guide or...” he could hear the smirk in Richie’s voice and he felt his face heat up. Eddie squirmed where he was sitting on the cool tiled floor, pulling the towel a little tighter. Richie shrugged, delicately rubbing Edide’s hair, “look, it’s no big deal. You just think about something that gets you horny.”

“What do you think about?” Eddie asked before he could stop himself and he wanted to kick himself. He felt Richie’s hand pause briefly but he soon carried on.

“Uh, I dunno. Keanu Reeves in Speed or Julia Roberts in Pretty Woman, sometimes Richard Gere. Cliche stuff.”

“Oh.”

Richie was only lying a little bit. He had thought about celebrities once or twice. But Eddie himself had been the star player in Richie’s fantasies since they were fifteen, not that he could tell him that. He had tried not thinking about Eddie but it was never enough and the guilt afterwards was always unbearable. If he knew, he’d never let Richie touch him again. He finished applying the dye and clapped his hands, removing the gloves and disposing of them. 

“Okay, now we just wait for a bit and wash out the rest when it’s had time to work.”

Eddie nodded, already missing Richie’s hands in his hair. They passed the time by painting each other’s nails, something Sonia Kaspbrak had deemed tacky and irresponsible. Richie had borrowed a nail kit from Audra, promising to get it back to her relatively intact - when he’d explained his intentions, she’d found it too adorable an idea to refuse him. At Eddie’s request to ‘go nuts’, Richie set out a line of colours and painted his middle fingers the colours of the pride flag. Eddie watched him fondly, smiling at Richie’s intense concentration, not willing to smudge his hard work. His tongue poked out as he leaned over, holding Eddie's hand softly in his. His painstaking work paid off and the shorter boy admired his handiwork, praising the attention to detail Richie had taken.

Eddie carefully painted two hearts on Richie’s middle fingers, writing a tiny R+E in felt tip once the varnish had dried. Richie stared in awe, wondering if he should say something. Surely this wasn’t just bros being pals? R+E? Richie + Eggnog? Richie + Extreme Anxiety Over Relationship With Best Friend? No. Richie + Eddie, surely. Maybe he could make a move? What if this was just friendship and he misread the entire situation? Eddie was looking at him now, biting his lip.

“Should we do it now?”

Richie nodded, his mouth dry as a bone, “yeah, okay.”

Eddie shuffled over to the sink, waiting patiently for Richie to come to his senses. _Oh_. Richie shook his head, wondering what the fuck had come over him. Two letters emblazoned on his middle finger had him freaking out. It wasn’t a big deal. Eddie had no idea what he was doing to him. Richie let the water run until it was warm, discreetly splashing some over his face. He rinsed Eddie’s hair thoroughly, threading his fingers through to make sure it all came out; Eddie’s eyes widened as he watched the colour drain in the sink. He could barely wait until Richie was done before looking up and examining himself in the mirror.

“What do you think?”

Eddie finished roughly towel drying his hair and tossed it on the floor, running a hand through his newly blond curls, “it’s...different,” he smiled slowly, liking his new look very much. He turned to Richie with an excited grin, “I think I like it. Thanks, Rich.”

Richie had assumed blond Eddie would look like a nerd, someone he would never be sexually or romantically attracted to; it was one of the selfish reasons he’d selected the colour. He figured it would ease his crush. When it came to other boys, blonds weren’t his type. Or so he thought. Turns out, this boy, Eddie Kaspbrak, was a smoking hot blond. His eyes stood out more, his smile seemed brighter and his hair...Richie wanted more than anything to run his hands through it again. He nodded, pushing up his glasses.

“No worries. You look...so good, Eds.”

Eddie beamed and Richie wanted to spend his life making Eddie look this happy. Their cleared away their mess and headed back to their room. Richie bit back a smile as he watched Eddie touching his hair, admiring his reflection in the mirror. He looked so adorable, he deserved to show off his new found confidence to the world. It was such a good look on him.

“Wanna go get lunch?” Richie offered, tapping his wallet; he and Eddie were both unable to tear their gaze away from his new hair - Richie was starting to think he’d made a massive mistake. Only a bit, “show off your new look. It’s on me.”

Eddie nodded happily, quickly shedding his pyjamas and throwing on an old pair of jeans and one of Richie’s t-shirts; great, another thing for the older teen to agonise over later. He took Richie’s hand and pulled him towards the door, turning to wink at him.

“In that case, you choose the place.”

At this rate, Eddie Kaspbrak was going to kill him before they finished his damn list.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> originally eddie was gonna paint richie’s middle fingers as the bi pride flag but since this story is set around ‘94 and the bi pride flag was created in ‘98 it wasn’t possible and I was bitterly disappointed at that


	4. 4. Go Ice Skating

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie and Eddie arrange a 'double date' with Bev and Ben. Richie gets a few home truths but is he ready to hear them?

The restaurant Richie ended up choosing was just the right side of posh, for the both of them. Nice enough to have a fancy meal served to your table yet not too snooty to require a reservation and a dress code before you even sit down. It wasn’t terribly busy and they were served rather quickly. Richie ordered them both spaghetti because of course he did, the fucker. Eddie couldn’t find it within himself to be mad, though. They were busy chatting about their classes and making arrangements for the next item on the list when they were interrupted by a familiar face.

“Hey, stranger.”

“Beverly,” Eddie smiled fondly at the redhead, his only friend at college, besides Richie; she was wearing an apron over her black uniform and her hair was tied back in a plait, a notebook and pen sat waiting in her hands. She fiddled with his new hair fondly, complimenting his new look. Eddie beamed, gesturing at Richie, “Bev, this is Richie, my roommate. Rich, this is the girl I was telling you about.”

“The one with the fit boyfriend?” Richie questioned with a smirk, shaking Beverly’s hand. Eddie looked utterly mortified.

“I-I didn’t say that...”

Beverly chuckled, looking Richie up and down, sizing him up, “something about you tells me you’d still try to fuck him even though he’s straight. Am I right?”

"He hasn’t met me yet, darling,” Richie gave an exaggerated wink, using one of his shitty Voices and Beverly laughed. Eddie smiled happily. He just knew Richie and Bev would get on.

She took their drinks orders, soft drinks at Eddie’s insistence much to Richie’s dismay (he didn’t want to get Bev fired for serving them because they’re underage), and left to get their meal. As they waited, Richie entertained by performing various impressions and stupid voices that had Eddie in stitches, mainly at how bad they were. Soon enough, Bev delivered their food and jokingly told them to enjoy their date. Eddie giggled sweetly whilst Richie thought he might die on the spot.

“Hey, do you think we should invite Bev and Ben to number four?” Eddie was watching Beverly at the bar, drying glasses and serving customers.

“Sure,” Richie said through a mouthful of spaghetti, taking advantage of Eddie’s distraction to pinch a meatball from his plate, “as long as you don’t mind me trying to get off with Bev’s hunk of man meat.”

“You haven’t met him, Richie. I don’t think he’s your type,” he didn’t sound so sure, though. Eddie was convinced every guy was Richie’s type, regardless of sexuality. Eddie was also sure that every guy fancied Richie in return, just because he was Richie. Look at him, he’s irresistible. Even slurping spaghetti and spilling sauce down his shirt, he’s so fucking cute. He just had to pray Ben was madly in love with Beverly. He playfully nudged Richie’s leg under the table, “come on, it’ll be fun. Sort of like a double date.”

Richie inhaled a piece of spaghetti and immediately began to choke; Eddie quickly hurried over and began to thump him rhythmically on the back. After copious amounts of water supplied by a very amused Beverly and much coughing, Richie regained composure and smiled wearily.

“Thanks...yeah, good idea,” he said, leaning against the table in an attempt to look cool and casual, only to upset the remaining cup of water onto the floor; Beverly sniggered, wiping up the spillage without hesitation. Eddie was staring at him like he was concerned for his mental well being. Maybe he should be. It’s his fucking fault! Richie cleared his throat, scratchy from his coughing fit, “um, Beverly...we were just wondering...if you wanted to come ice skating with us tonight. You and Ben...”

Beverly looked touched. She looked between them, grinning in delight, “oh my God, we’d love to. Thanks. I get off at four. We’ll meet you there at, like, five-ish?”

“Great,” Eddie was so happy about Beverly agreeing, he forgot about Richie’s reaction to what he referred to as their double date. Much to Richie’s relief. He felt sure he hadn’t heard the end of it, though.

They arrived at the ice rink at exactly five o’clock, suited and booted in what Eddie considered ‘appropriate skating attire’. He was wearing a pair of thick jeans, a plain pink polo shirt and Richie’s jacket thrown over the top for good measure. Richie just wore his usual favourite pair of skinny jeans, a loud Hawaiian shirt over a plain grey undershirt. They met Bev and Ben inside, the former introducing the latter to Richie; he made a point of nudging Eddie and lewdly waggling his eyebrows once Ben’s back was turned. Eddie just rolled his eyes.

The four of them collected their skates and found a bench to get ready at. Eddie stared at his skates with a mixture of excitement and fear; if Sonia Kaspbrak knew he was within mere inches of something capable of slicing his hand clean open, she’d have multiple aneurysms. Richie was momentarily distracted as he watched Eddie strap on elbow and knee pads, pulling a helmet from his backpack. He felt Beverly’s eyes on him and he quickly looked away, focusing on fastening the laces on his skates. Ben and Eddie, who were the first to finish, helped each other to the rink and wasted no time in taking to the ice. No surprise, Ben was rather good whilst Eddie mainly stuck to the sides. Beverly and Richie hung back momentarily, sharing a cigarette back and forth.

“So, um...hope you don’t mind me asking,” Beverly gestured at Eddie who was holding onto Ben, giggling cutely. Richie couldn’t look away, “how long have you two been together?”

“What, like, dating?” At Beverly’s nod, he took the cigarette and inhaled sharply, blowing out the smoke in one deep huff, “Eddie’s not my boyfriend. Nooo, he’s so not my type,” he laughed, hoping he sounded convincing. Bev was still looking at him and Richie avoided her gaze, “I like, um...tall guys...”

“Oh,” Bev breathed in the cigarette smoke, silently blowing rings for a few moments. She finally shook her head, completely stunned, “well, shit. I feel like a total asshole now.”

“Why?”

“I totally thought you two were going out,” Beverly turned to Richie, holding out the nearly depleted cigarette. He was once again staring at Eddie; Beverly rolled her eyes, stubbing out the cigarette, “you just seem really into each other.”

Richie scoffed, resting his chin on his hands that were propped up on his knees, “Eddie can do way better than me.”

Bev smiled fondly. She’d already decided she liked this clueless idiot, “why do you say that?”

“Just look at him,” Richie nearly shouted, gesturing wildly at Eddie. The boy was still gripping onto Ben’s arms, his eyes screwed shut tight as the other boy led him around the ice, “he’s gorgeous and stunning and perfect and funny and stubborn and annoying,” he gazed fondly, waving at Eddie when he was brave enough to look over at them, “I don’t know what he’s doing hanging out with me.”

Beverly just stared at him, wondering how he could be so dense. Even she could see Eddie’s face light up the moment he set eyes on Richie. She rolled her eyes, “so you love him, then?”

Richie nodded, “yup, I sure do.”

“And he...doesn’t love you back?” Beverly questioned, expressing her doubt in every word she spoke. But, again, Richie nodded. She raised an eyebrow, “are you sure? I mean, have you told him?”

“Are you fucking crazy? I can’t handle that kind of rejection,” he pouted, dropping his head into his hands, groaning loudly, “I just want to have his babies.”

Beverly paused, reaching out to awkwardly pat him on the shoulder, "yeah...you do know that’s not physically possible, right?”

“Hey, you guys! Are you coming or not?” Eddie was looking at them questioningly, no longer clinging to Ben but grabbing the sides for support. Richie leapt to his feet, almost losing his balance.

“Be right there, Spaghedward!”

Before he could wade towards Eddie, Beverly placed her hand on his arm, stopping him momentarily, “hey, Rich, I know we hardly know each other but I just want to say,” she patted his shoulder supportively as passed on her way to Ben, smiling, “it is going to happen, just go with it. Hang in there, yeah?”

Richie nodded and Beverly smiled, taking Ben’s hand and letting him sweep her gracefully around the ice. Eddie was looking at him questioningly when he finally reached him.

“Everything okay, Rich?”

“Yeah, just...getting to know Bev,” he shrugged, taking Eddie’s hand and stepping onto the ice; he was far from an expert skater but he knew his way around the rink. He was certainly more practised than Eddie, if the way he was wrapped around his waist was anything to go by, “so, uh, what kind of moves has Haystack over there been showing you?”

“Haystack?” Eddie said, refusing to open his eyes. He wasn’t exactly enjoying himself, he was terrified of falling but holding onto Richie was very nice. Plus, he was getting quite good now. He even let Richie take him into the middle where it was most crowded, “what, because of his hair or something?”

“I dunno, Eds, he just looks like a Haystack,” he was trying to distract Eddie, keep him talking so he wouldn’t notice Richie prying his hands away from his body. He was going to get Eddie to skate properly whether he liked it or not, “so, um, what do you think his deal is? Bi? Pan? Or like totally st-”

“Richie what the fuck are you doing?” Eddie’s eyes were suddenly wide open and incredibly fearful. He and Richie were only holding hands now and Eddie was more or less supporting himself. He began to panic, shaking his head frantically, “no, no, I can’t-”

“You can, Eds, see?”

Richie slowly took one of his hands away, looking at their skates as they glided rather gracefully across the ice. He was already pushing his luck but Eddie looked so happy and proud of himself, he let his other hand drop without really thinking about it. Eddie immediately lost his confidence and freaked out, starting to lose his balance. Richie quickly surged forward to try and catch Eddie, his hand finding his wrist; unfortunately, in his haste, his skates scuffed on the ice and sent him flying backwards. Richie landed hard with Eddie falling on top of him, knocking the wind out of him. 

“Oh, my God, Richie, I’m so sorry, are you okay?”

Richie could feel Eddie’s hand on his cheek and he squinted up at him; his glasses had been sent skidding across the ice somewhere during the tumble. he could feel a nasty bruise forming on the side of his head where he’d connected with the ground. Eddie hadn’t stood yet and was smoothing Richie’s hair back, looking into his eyes trying to determine a concussion. Despite having limited vision, Richie smiled widely.

“You gonna kiss it better, Eds?”

Before Eddie could answer, Bev and Ben skidded to a halt beside the heap that was their joined bodies. Beverly was doing a terrible job at hiding her laughter as Ben smiled at them, “you guys need a moment alone or something?”

Eddie blushed profusely, stumbling across the ice to retrieve Richie’s glasses before helping him to his feet. They quickly apologised to Beverly and Ben, promising to meet them again at some other time; they were both keen to go back to their room and rest their aching bodies. Both Richie and Eddie had a good laugh about their ordeal on the way back. Richie had at first tried to apologise for misplacing Eddie’s trust in him. Eddie, however, told him how he’d never felt so alive. He'd been so caught up in the adrenaline, he kissed Richie squarely on the cheek. Richie had nearly fainted in Ben’s arms, not that he’d have minded. Once they were safely back in their dorm, Eddie retrieved two ice packs and the pair settled into Richie’s bed, groaning as they nursed their bumps and bruises.

“How’s it looking?” Richie grimaced, poking the purple bruise at the side of his forehead. He smirked, “am I still handsome?”

“You’re doing it wrong, dumbass. Here,” Eddie climbed into Richie’s lap without hesitation. He reached up and carefully removed Richie’s glasses, placing them on the bedside table. Richie watched wide eyed as Eddie tenderly brushed aside his curly hair before gently pressing the ice pack onto his bruise. He could feel Eddie’s warm gaze on him, “...there.”

Richie swallowed, his hand unconsciously resting on Eddie’s thigh, “uh-huh...th-thanks...”

He may not have had his glasses but he could see Eddie moving closer and he felt more than heard him whisper his name, “Rich...”

“I-I really need to get to sleep...early start...”

As quickly as it began, the spell was broken. Eddie moved away and dropped his hand, nodding sadly, “oh. Okay.”

He climbed off of Richie’s lap and went to his own bed for the first time in ages. Richie rolled over in his own bed, pretending not to hear Eddie's occasional sniffles. Richie wanted to kick himself, to shout his feelings for Eddie, to climb into his bed and never leave. But Beverly was wrong. Eddie deserved better, whether he knew it or not.


	5. 5. Go Camping

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Richie and Eddie are drifting apart and neither are willing to lose their friendship. Richie drops a bombshell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry it's been a while. wrote a whole chapter about youtube, realised this fic is set in the nineties, had to change it. here we are...

Richie regretted pushing Eddie away almost as soon as he had done it. He was so confused and he’d convinced himself Eddie was better off. He should find himself a sweet boyfriend who didn’t make stupid jokes or annoy him constantly, even if Richie didn’t want him to. He wanted Eddie all to himself. It was a real dilemma. The only thing Richie could think to do was distance himself from Eddie so he could think and not make a fool out of himself again.

Beverly became his sounding board, his go-to relationship counsellor. She mostly called him out for being a fucking idiot for missing a clear golden opportunity. Richie knew she was right and he felt miserable. To make matters worse, Eddie was starting to spend more time with Bill, sometimes staying over. Richie could already feel his relationship with Eddie falling apart; he was going to lose him because he was afraid. Weeks passed without Richie and Eddie spending any extra time together outside of their dorm. Classes were busy and their schedules were hectic, often clashing. Sometimes, Richie didn’t get home until very late in the evening.

After almost a month of the two of them avoiding the elephant in the room, Eddie had had enough. He wanted his friend back, even if that meant that’s all they were ever to be. He didn’t even care if they abandoned the stupid list, he just wanted things back the way they were. Bill was great and very supportive, listening to Eddie’s relationship complaints whether he wanted to or not and offering advice. Eddie wasn’t even sure what had happened but something had changed between him and Richie. There was a tension whenever they were together and he hated it. Maybe it was because they spent too much time together; time apart certainly wasn’t helping. Eddie finally managed to corner Richie one night he came in late.

“Have I done something, Richie?”

“What?” He was looking anywhere but at Eddie, watching his shoes kick at the ground, “no, just been busy, that’s all.”

“Look, I fucked up that night,” Eddie began, nervously twisting his hands together. When he next spoke, he was unable to keep the tremble from his voice, “if you don’t wanna be friends anymore...”

Richie felt his stomach twist and he wanted to punch himself in the face. Against his better judgement, he took Eddie’s face in his hands, wiping away his tears, “oh, Eds, I’m so sorry I’ve been distant. I promise you I have a good reason.”

“I’ve missed you, Richie.”

“I missed you, too, Eds,” Richie hugged him tight, his heart pounding in delight. He tried to pour every emotion he felt for Eddie into the hug, “I’m really sorry I've been such a jerk,” he paused, pulling away from the hug and staring directly at Eddie. He was clearly deep in thought but it was still off-putting. Suddenly, he snapped out of it and glanced out of the window, “I’ve got a surprise for you. But it’s not quite ready yet.”

“Oh, well, I can wait-” before Eddie could finish his sentence, Richie had darted to his bag and was rummaging around. He finally removed a blindfold and handed it over, smirking. Eddie raised an eyebrow, “what the fuck?”

“Don’t get any ideas, Eds,” Richie said with a wink, taking his hand and tugging him out of the dorm. When they got outside, Richie gently tied the blindfold over Eddie’s eyes, “it’s like a two block walk. No peeking, now.”

Eddie was curious but he nodded, slipping his hand into Richie’s and allowing himself to be led down the street. They were silent for a few moments, listening to the sounds of New York at night; Richie glanced at his friend, taking in his soft hair and beautiful face. He sighed, squeezing his hand.

“I’m really sorry, Eds. I was a huge fucking idiot. I’m not even mad about...what happened.” _I wanted it to happen, I was just scared_ , he added in his mind.

He could see Eddie’s blush and it was the cutest thing ever. He shrugged, “it’s okay.”

“It’s not okay. Look,” he stopped them, taking Eddie’s hands in his. Richie took a deep breath, looking at Eddie’s covered eyes, “I’m crazy about you. Like literally. I don’t know how to handle it and I end up doing stupid stuff because of it.”

“I’m crazy about you, too, Rich,” Eddie hugged him clumsily, his hands slipping around Richie’s waist, “you mean more to me than anyone.”

Richie swallowed, ruffling his hair awkwardly, “friends again?”

“Always.”

Richie breathed a sigh of relief, hugging Eddie back perhaps a little too tightly. They set off down the street again, Richie leading the way; he felt Eddie shivering in the cool night air and he shrugged off his jacket, wrapping it around Eddie’s shoulders. They were only walking for a short while longer before Richie stopped them; Eddie heard him fumbling around in his bag.

“Okay, um...before I show you,” he sounded nervous and it just made Eddie more curious, “it’s not much and one day we’ll do better. But for now, I hope it’s enough.”

“Dude, take the fucking blindfold off.”

And Richie did, after taking another deep breath. Eddie found himself looking up in confusion at an apartment complex; he turned to Richie with a raised eyebrow. The taller boy wordlessly opened the front door and approached the stairs, sheepishly waiting for Eddie to follow, which he did rather dumbstruck. He watched as Richie climbed the stairs and began unlocking the first apartment on the left, stepping aside for his friend to enter. Eddie’s jaw dropped.

The apartment was spacious, two bedrooms and currently rather bare except for the two person tent set up in the middle of the room. Eddie was speechless and he blinked, willing himself not to faint. He stared at Richie, desperate for him to explain. He rubbed the back of his neck.

“Yeah, well, I thought it’ll do until we can get some furniture on the cheap...” he gestured at the tent, clearing his throat, “and we can cross off number five on your list. It’s better than outside, your hay fever and shit...”

Eddie shook his head vigorously, finally finding his voice, “wha- how the fuck can you afford this?”

“Mostly savings and Mom and Dad,” Richie explained, taking Eddie by the shoulders and manoeuvring him around the place since it was clear he was still too stunned to move, “that, and I’ve sort of got a job.”

“Huh?” 

Eddie was distracted from looking into his room by Richie’s confession. Suddenly, all the late nights and exhaustion made sense. Richie hadn’t been out partying with Bev and hooking up with girls like he’d thought. He’d been working. To get them a place to live together. He truly felt terrible.

“I’m working at the radio station,” he said proudly, leaning against the wall as he watched Eddie take in his bedroom in awe, “a few weeks ago I was messing about in one of the clubs, doing like stand up and they liked it. Next thing I know, I’m working in the radio station. So I dropped out of college and found this place.”

“You dropped out?” Eddie was surprised, wondering how long it was exactly since Richie had stopped going to class. How had he not noticed? As surprises went, this one was a lot to take in. He almost needed his inhaler.

“So what do you say?” Richie was looking at him anxiously, wringing his hands. He spread his arms, smiling nervously, “do you wanna live with me?”

Eddie just blinked, biting his lip, “I don’t how to help out...”

“Don’t worry about that, Spaghetti,” Richie waved a hand; he was literally dying to hear Eddie drop everything and say yes. He’d found a place not far from college so Eddie could keep attending. It was perfect, he just needed his best friend, “we’ll figure it out. Come on, Eds, I’m dying here.”

Eddie broke into a wide grin, leaping into Richie’s arms and repeating ‘yes’ into his ear. Richie breathed a sigh of relief, hugging Eddie tightly. He was on cloud nine, this was easily the best day of his life. He was now living with his best friend in a place they were sharing! Just the two of them! He put Eddie down and ruffled his hair.

“Great. Now, go get your jammies on, I’ll start the campfire,” he ushered Eddie to the bathroom, rolling his eyes at the terrified look he gave him, “keep your panties on, it’s one of the gas heater things.”

Eddie laughed, taking the pyjamas Richie had retrieved from his bag, “asshole.”

As soon as the bathroom door closed behind him, Richie set to work. He opened all the windows in the lounge, making it feel like they were outside. He set cans of drink and packets of marshmallows around their tent. He lit the heater, warming his hands. And, the main effect, he switched on the star projector pointed at the ceiling. Finally, he shimmied out of his clothes and pulled on his own pyjamas. He sat beside the ‘campfire’ and waited for Eddie, watching the stars. When Eddie emerged, Richie had to swallow hard and force himself not to look at his legs. What was it with Eddie and fucking shorts?

“You’re amazing, Richie,” Eddie took the roasted marshmallow he was offering him, gazing at the ‘stars’ above them. He leaned against his shoulder, sighing happily, “you’re...amazing. The best thing in my life. I hope you know that.”

“Yeah, I am pretty great,” Richie joked, desperately trying to cry. Eddie chuckled and nudged him, attempting to dodge Richie’s efforts to pinch his cheeks, “you’re so cute, Eds. You mean so much to me, too.”

They enjoyed their marshmallows in silence, listening to the distant hum of late night traffic. Richie told scary stories animatedly, acting out monsters and ghosts, using his various shitty voices much to Eddie’s amusement. The conversation transitioned to dating with Richie asking outright if Eddie was attracted to Bill, making him blush bright red. Despite insisting Bill was just a friend, Richie apparently found it hilarious and maybe Eddie should go for it. He quickly told him to shut the fuck up.

As the night grew on, the boys could no longer deny they were tired and eager for a good night’s sleep. Richie had gathered as many pillows and duvets as he could manage, making a rather nice makeshift bed on top of an air mattress within the tent. They snuggled close together as usual and Richie carelessly tossed his glasses off somewhere to the side.

“What did you think of your first camping experience, Eds?”

“Wonderful,” Eddie said with a fond grin, lifting his head from Richie’s chest to look at him properly, “I’d definitely go again.”

Richie grinned, squinting in order to see Eddie clearer, “glad to hear it. I think this place is open most of the time.”

Eddie didn’t say anything. He took Richie’s hand in his and brought it to his lips, pressing a soft kiss to his knuckles. Blinking, Richie swallowed hard and repeated Eddie’s action, bringing his other hand to brush the stray curls from Eddie’s forehead. The smaller boy smiled happily and wriggled closer, resting his head against Richie’s chest.

“Goodnight, Richie.”

Richie still held his hand, wrapping his other around Eddie’s waist, “goodnight, Eddie.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's a very good reason they haven't kissed yet. it's called chapter ten and I hope I make it that far XD


End file.
